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First production Volvo S60 Polestar shown off

With the Volvo S60 Polestar going on sale in Australia this June, Volvo has finally released images and specs for the production version of the performance sedan. While no official build number has been announced, one image of the car's steering wheel shows a serial number plaque that says "No. 000/100" indicating that production will likely be limited to just 100 units in Australia. The press release states that the Australia run of Polestar-tuned S60s is a "pilot project" and that other potential markets are "under investigation."

Although it looks very similar to the S60 Polestar Concept we first saw at the LA Auto Show last year, the production version of the car sports a few changes. Visually, the front and rear fascias have been slightly modified from the concept car, as have the matte-black wheels. Inside, we see a different steering wheel that adds the aforementioned build sequence plaque but loses the suede leather accents, and there is also a sportier looking shift lever with a chrome handle that features a Polestar logo.

As for performance figures, rather than the 508-horsepower of the S60 Polestar Concept, the production version will be limited to 350 hp and more than 368 pound-feet of torque, which is still an improvement of about 25 hp and at least 14 lb-ft over a 2013 S60 R-Design. Polestar also tuned the six-speed automatic transmission and Haldex all-wheel-drive system for optimal performance leading to a top speed of 155 miles per hour and a 0-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds. The production S60 Polestar will still get suspension, brake and aerodynamic upgrades.

For the full list of vehicle specs, scroll down for the official press release, and while pricing has yet to be announced, it will likely be far less than the $300,000 someone reportedly paid for the S60 Polestar Concept.

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Introducing the world-first production version of the Volvo S60 Polestar

Developed from 17 years of motorsport experience, and sharing DNA with the 508bhp Volvo S60 Polestar Concept Car, the first road car from Polestar to be put into production is here - the Volvo S60 Polestar.

"We have built a car that we, as car enthusiasts, want to drive," says Christian Dahl, Managing Director of Polestar. "This is a driver's car, bringing out the very best of the already competent Volvo S60 chassis with our experience and technology from motorsport.

"We received a fantastic response to our Volvo C30 and S60 Polestar concept cars, so we are very happy to now introduce our first production car to the Australian market. This is an important step forward for Polestar, one that promises an exciting future."

Australia pilot market for limited edition project

A limited production run has been developed exclusively for the Australian market as a pilot project, with the first cars being delivered to customers in late June 2013. Introduction of the Volvo S60 Polestar to further markets is under investigation pending the response of the Australian introduction.

"The Australian market for performance cars is, and has always been, strong," says Matt Braid, Managing Director of Volvo Cars Australia. "We are delighted to be able to offer our customers the Volvo S60 Polestar, a car more than capable of getting into the thick of the action in this competitive segment of the market.

"The work done by Polestar on the S60 is impressive to say the least - they have transformed the already fun to drive Volvo S60 into a great handling driver's car."

Extensive chassis development - by racing drivers

Key to the development of the Volvo S60 Polestar was the extensive work done on the chassis over thousands of test kilometers in Europe - from the fast autobahns in Germany to the twisty roads of southern Spain, and the freezing cold of northern Sweden.

Volvo Polestar Racing driver Robert Dahlgren, a 33-year-old Swede with 10 years as a Volvo factory racing driver under his belt, has been an integral part of the development work.

"The Volvo S60 Polestar is a car that we are truly proud of, our first step to a production car available to the customers," said Robert Dahlgren, Volvo Polestar Racing driver.

"We have taken the best bits of the standard S60 T6 and our S60 Polestar Concept Car, creating a vehicle that puts a smile on your face when you drive it over your favourite twisty road. At the same time, it is more than capable of everyday driving, too.

"This is, in my eyes, a very good combination of the Volvo and Polestar core values: safety and performance."

Cutting-edge technology straight from the racetrack

Just as important as the men and women from Polestar who developed the car is the technology underneath it.

The Volvo S60 Polestar shares technology from the Polestar racing cars, like dampers from Öhlins, high capacity brakes, and the extensively developed, highly-tuned chassis.

A new aerodynamic package has also been developed, including a front splitter, rear wing and diffuser - all having been tweaked and modified in the Volvo Car Group wind tunnel in collaboration with the Volvo Research and Development team.

The six-cylinder turbo-charged Volvo T6 engine has been optimised by Polestar with a bigger turbo, new intercooler, revised engine mapping and racing exhaust to produce 350bhp or 257kW and 500+Nm.

The S60 Polestar accelerates from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds, via a Polestar-tuned six-speed automatic gearbox - which also features a launch control system - and a Polestar-tuned Haldex 4WD system. The car is governed to a top speed of 250km/h.

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Agreed; ~400 horsepower/350 pound-feet would've gotten it into the High-Performance C-segment league. I'd like to see how much of the chassis re-engineering made it through before making full judgement, but it's looking as if the production Polestar is on track to become an overpriced version of what the R-Design should already be.

Damnit Volvo! They had a really good thing going with that concept, but what's up with this? For one thing, I think the concept looked better (which is a stupid thing to say about most concepts, but this one was production-ready). They had the wheel design just perfect, these are similar, but not the same.
Mainly though, an increase of 25hp instead of 183hp? That's weak Volvo. 400hp would have at least been been attention-grabbing, even if it didn't quite compete with the M3, etc. Whereas the 508hp concept had a complete engine re-work, this measly 25hp boost out of a T6 could have been done with exhaust and a mild tune, very mild.
I'm sure the suspension and brake upgrades are significant, but on paper... this is super disappointing, especially at a time when Volvo needs to wow the world.

@ carguy1701... Audi's Quattro drivetrains are all Haldex-based, and in the RS4 Avant for example, it's 60% rear-biased. So no, not all Haldex systems are front-biased. The RS4 has it's engine way, way up front (like all Audis) and yet it has 450hp and a rear-biased AWD system.
Being that Volvo's engines are typically behind the front axle (for safety's sake - more crumple room) which has the added benefit of helping the weight distribution, it should understeer less than the RS4 with the proper setup. So yeah, it'll never be an M car, but it's no more flawed than a typical Audi, and I'm pretty sure Volvo would be happy with that comparison.

Note to automakers: I know you are all jumping on the bandwagon with radar-based adaptive cruise control (a feature which many of us don't need and will never use, though that's beside the point.) But please, engineer a better solution than the black plastic plates stuck on to the grille. No matter how you try to disguise them, they stick out... badly. Put it in the glass, or incorporate it into the lower front fascia or maybe even the headlights... there's got to be something else you can do. But I do not want an ugly black plastic plate stuck on the front of my car.
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So let me get this straight. Volvo takes a concept Polestar around that beats the M3 and C63, which makes car enthusiasts salvate. They claim this was to gauge interest? We answered: very interested! Then they drop this lame turd on us and slap the polestar name on it. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU BUILD A PERFORMANCE BADGE! What's hysterical is Volve will charge a huge premium for this joke of an upgrade.

"THIS IS NOT HOW YOU BUILD A PERFORMANCE BADGE! What's hysterical is Volvo will charge a huge premium for this joke of an upgrade."
And should it fail, Volvo, like many manufacturers before it, will claim it proof positive that the market doesn't want them in this segment.

Way too soft, the C63 with 450-ish hp, and the M3 with 410-ish hp (memory is hazy), debuted what, in 2007 as 2008 models?
Volvo shows up with their special Polestar sedan, 6 YEARS later with only 350 hp?

"Sorry but a stock Evo hits 60 faster than 4.9 with only 291 horsepower. . ."
The Evo is roughly 500 lbs lighter and would prove unacceptable as daily transportation for many on account of its lack of refinement and amenities.